Too Many ‘Innocent Mistakes’
by Ed Sachs

Here we find city residents having to deal with those who believe themselves to be beyond clever. Once again, we find ourselves having to roll our eyes in disbelief, as the city tells us that, oops, we forgot to consider irrigation for the Dog Park. A Dog Park that requires grass was found not to need water in the initial scoping of the project. The Dog Park that, after years of debate, was only passed just after the last council election.

The Dog Park that started as some $800,000 of expense to the city and its residents. The Dog Park that then upon passing comes at a cost of $1.1M to residents in Phase 1. And does it not beg the question that if you have a Phase 1, it would follow that you would have a Phase 2, or 3, or more?

And now, a Change Order asking Mission Viejo residents for an additional $190,600 is presented for approval. The reason staff and council are asked for more residents’ money is that somebody once again neglected to include irrigation in the initial specs of the city project. There is a familiar ring to this, as I believe it was Change Order #6 for the Marguerite Tennis Center that called for Council rushing to include irrigation that was discovered missing at the very last minute. A Change Order that Councilman Ury manipulated UDR to prepay $500,000 in park fees in order to cover the cost of that Change Order. Ultimately, a project that ballooned to over $5M if memory serves.

This City Council majority is earning a reputation as being incapable of properly managing a project on behalf of the city. There is a serious lack somewhere that takes into consideration what it would actually cost to bring a project to full completion. Is this because either the council or city staff is incompetent, irresponsible, incapable or deceitful? After all the many projects necessitating Change Orders in this City, residents should no longer conclude that this is just an oversight or an innocent mistake.

I have no idea if these tactics are coming from City Council members themselves, or City Staff suggestions, or both. We may never know in reality. However, to believe that this tactic is anything but a dereliction of due diligence by council members on behalf of the city would necessitate a disbelief in laws of probability.

Any council, or staff member, that is party to this deceit should be ashamed of himself or herself.